Rotary fly-brush attachment for screen-doors.



'No. 724,052. PATENTED MARQBl, 1903.

- s. G. SGHOLZ.

ROTARY FLY BRUSH ATTACHMENT FOR SCREEN nouns.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15-1902.

N0 MODEL.

, PNOTO-LITHG UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL G. SCHOLZ, OF BILLINGS, MISSOURI.

ROTARY FLY-BR U'SHATTACHMENT FOR SCREEN-DOORS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 7 24,052, dated March31, 1903.

Application filed August 15,1902. Serial Ila-119,821. (No model.)

' a device ofthis class of some durable and inexpensive construction,designed to be attached to the inner surface of the screen-door near itsfree edge and to be extended vertically, and so arranged that as thedoor is opened the brush will be rotated rapidly, so as to keep flies orother insects from entering through the door opened, and when the dooris released the spring in the fly-brush roller will operate to close thedoor and hold it in its closed position. 1

A further object is to provide the yielding spring-brackets forsupporting the roller, so arranged that as the dooris opened or closedthe strain and shock of the fly-brush will be reduced to a minimum.

A further object is to provide a two-part roller of this class havingthe parts so arranged that a supporting-bracket may be introducedbetween the parts of the roller and to provide means for connecting theroller parts, which means may be adjusted so that the roller may befitted to doors of any ordinary size.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction,arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device wherebythe objects contemplated are obtained and hereinafter more fully setforth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 shows in perspective my completebrush-roller applied to the screen-door as in practical use. Fig. 2shows an enlarged detail view of the brush-roller parts, the centralportions of the rollers being broken away and the end portions of therollers being illustrated in vertical section to show the constructionof these parts; and Fig. 3 shows a detail top or plan view of the'upperrollerbracket.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used thereference-numeral 10 to in dioate a door-frame and 12 a screen-door ofordinary construction, hinged at one edge to the door-fr'ameandhavingatransverse cross-piece 13 near its central portion. Attached tothe top cross-piece of the door-frame is a bracket (clearly illustratedin Fig. 3) made complete from a single piece of spring metal, its oneend 14 being attached to the cross-piece 12 by means of the screws 15,and its central portion 16 being inclined outwardly and toward the freeend of the door, and the outer end of the bracket is shaped to form anoblong loop 17.

The reference numeral 18 indicates a bracket similar to the one justdescribed, except thatthe loop 19 in its outer end is round. Thisbracket 18 is attached to the lower cross-piece of the door. 7

Reference-numeral 20 indicates a bracket similar to the bracket 18,attached to the door near the free edge of door and in line with thecentral cross-piece 13, and this bracket projects outwardly from thedoor and toward the hinged edge thereof, as clearly illustrated in Fig.1.

The reference-numeral 21 indicates a hollow roller, having in one end acentral rod 22, upon which the roller may turn. This rod is providedwith a spring 23, one end of which is attached to the rod and the otherto the roller 21. As this spring-actuated roller device is the same asis now in common use on window-curtain rollers, a further descriptionand illustration is thought to be unnecessary. The upper end of the rod22 projects through a cap 24, and its projecting end is flattened at 25.Fixed to the central portion of the roller 21 are the flexible wings 26,preferably made of stiffened fabric.

At the lower end of the roller 21 I have provided a device for thepurpose of connecting the roller 21 with a second roller and also forforming a journal to enter the bracket 20. This device, as clearlyillustrated in Fig. 2, comprises a straight round rod 27, havingflattened portions 28 nearits ends and having these ends pointed at 29.One of these pointed ends is inserted in the end of the roller 21 untilthe flattened portion 28 enters the roller. Thus the rod 27 is preventedfrom rotating relative to the roller. v

The reference-numeral 30 indicates a solid IOC wooden roller in linewith roller 21 and connected therewith by having the opposite end of rod27 inserted in its upper end, and in the lower end of the roller 30 is arod or journal 31, having the flattened portion 32 inserted therein, andthe flexible wings 33, similar to the wings 26, are attached to theroller 30.

The parts are assembled, as shown in Fig. 1, with the fiat end of therod 22 in the upper bracket and with the central portion of rod 27 inthe central bracket and the journal 31 in the lower bracket, and whenthis is done I provide a cord 34, having one end attached to thedoorframe and its other end portion wound upon and attached to theroller 21.

In practical use I first attach the three brackets to the door-frame insuch a manner that the openings in the brackets are in line. I thenprovide a rod 27 of such length that the upper end of the roller 21 maybe placed in the upper bracket and the lower end of the roller may beplaced in the lower bracket, and the said rod will be of suflicientlength to enter the meeting ends of the said rollers, so that my devicemay be attached to doors of any ordinary size, and the brackets may beplaced on the cross-pieces of the doors. Obviously if only one rollerwere provided the roller could not be supported by a'central bracket norcould it be adjusted as to length without some complicated and expensiveadjusting device.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination with a door-frame and a screen-door hinged thereto,of a number of yielding brackets attached to the door, a spring-actuatedroller mounted in said brackets, a fly-brush attached to the roller anda cord wound upon the roller and attached to the door-frame,substantially as and for the purposes stated.

2. The combination with a door-frame and p a screen-door hinged thereto,of a springbracket fixed to the top cross-piece of the door and havingan oblong loop in its free end, a second spring-bracket fixed to thelower cross-piece of the door and having a round loop in its free end, athird spring-bracket fixed to the central portion of the screen-doorpassed through the central bracket, and said journal supported in thelower bracket, and a cord fixed to and wound upon the upper roller andattached to the door-frame, substantially as and for the purposesstated.

SAMUEL G. SCHOLZ.

Witnesses:

J. RALPH ORWIG, WALLACE R. LANE.

